Revenge
by emmareden
Summary: A little story of how Mary Drake worms her way back into her daughters life. All in the name of Revenge.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So I haven't seen many Mary fic's around yet and I figure this is the perfect time since we don't really know anything yet! Ah creative freedom! Let me know what you think ! :)**

 **Chapter 1.**

Charlotte lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling. She'd tried squeezing her eyes shut but it didn't matter. All she could see was Alison lying there. Blood. Her mom's face. Her eyes. She'd never meant to hurt her little sister. But that didn't matter. She could hear her mom's words in her ears over and over. What have you done? What had she done? She'd ruined everything.

"Charlotte, visitor."

A nurse stood at her door.

Charlotte frowned, "I don't have anyone coming today."

"It's your mom," the nurse said, rushing as she saw the hope light up in the young woman's eyes, "Your…other mom."

Charlotte blinked, "My… biological mom…is here?"

She could barely remember the last time she'd seen her real mom. Not that she called her that. She hadn't been around since Charlotte was a baby. Jessica was her real mom now. The only mom she'd ever really known.

"Charlotte?" the nurse prompted, "Should I let her through or do you want me to turn her away?"

Charlotte bit her lip as she thought for a moment, "I'll see her… I guess," she muttered.

Charlotte sat on the bed, her back against the wall. She drew her knee's to her chest as she heard footsteps, high heels it sounded like, approach her door. A light knock didn't wait for a response. The door opened gently.

God, Charlotte thought, if it weren't for the dark hair… she still looked just like mom. Like Jessica, she corrected herself. It really was confusing.

"Charlotte," Mary spoke softly as she sat down on the bed beside her daughter.

Charlotte watched her wide eyed, "You haven't visited… in a really long time," she said quietly.

"I know," Mary took her daughters hand, "I'm sorry, honey. I was sick… I wanted to get better before I came and saw you."

"But mom… Jessica, I mean, " Charlotte frowned, "She said you got out years ago… but you still never came."

There was a flash of anger in Mary's eyes as she listened to her daughter call her sister mom, "It's complicated," she murmured, "I don't think she wanted me around you."

Charlotte nodded slowly, "Oh."

"But I'm your mom, Charlie," Mary said firmly, "And I want to be around."

"Why now?" Charlotte asked quietly.

Mary hesitated, "I saw her put you in that car and send you away like…" her voice rose, "Like you were nothing. You're not, Charlotte," Mary squeezed her daughters hands with her own, "I lost you to that woman and now she just throws you away…"

"But I killed Ali," Charlotte choked out, "She saw me kill her daughter… her real daughter… I don't blame her for hating me."

Mary wiped a tear from her daughters cheek, "Charlotte, you belong with me. Not in this place," she gestured to the walls, "And not with her."

Charlotte looked confused, "But mom," she cleared her throat, "I mean, Je…" she shook her head, "She took care of me. She was the only one that was there for me. That ever really loved me."

"And now?" Mary raised an eyebrow in question.

Charlotte sighed as her brow furrowed in thought. She remembered her mom's eyes… the sadness… the disappointment. How she hadn't even been able to hug her back before she sent her away.

"I don't know," Charlotte whispered.

"I do," Mary smiled, "Now I'm here, honey. I'm going to get you out of this place… I know what it's like," her expression darkened, "It's no place for us."

"You can…get me out?" Charlotte's eyes widened.

"Of course I can," Mary nodded, "You're my daughter, aren't you?"

Charlotte bit her lip, "Yeah, I guess I am," she smiled hesitantly.

Mary pulled her in for a hug. There was still hope, she thought. She could still get her daughter back. Get everything back. Everything that that bitch had taken from her. She looked at the dejected girl in her arms. She just needed someone to love her. What better person than her real mother?

Charlotte returned the hug and turned her face into her mother's shoulder. She felt a hand in her hair as she sniffed.

"I love you."

That was all that was needed for Mary to get into her daughters heart and her mind. Mary smiled; she'd known this was the time as soon as she'd seen her daughter hit Alison with that rock. It was all about timing and the time was now.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Just another snippet from the Charlotte/Mary chronicles that we never saw. Thanks for reading! :)**

 **Chapter 2.**

"Wow, this place is nice," Charlotte observed as she followed her mom into the large house.

Mary smiled, "It's your home now too, Charlotte."

"Home," Charlotte echoed slowly.

"Home," Mary repeated firmly.

Charlotte smiled, "Thanks, m…Thanks, Mary."

Mary flinched, stopping to face her daughter, "Please, Charlotte. Call me mom," she said quietly.

Charlotte bit her lip, hesitating before nodding, "Okay… mom," she paused, "Why don't you and… other mom get along?"

Mary watched her daughter closely, "Well… what did Jessica say?" she questioned carefully.

Charlotte shrugged, "She said when I was a baby, you weren't well. Like in the mind. You had to go somewhere far away to get better so she took me in," she took a breath, "I didn't know any different. She raised me," she noticed her mother's eyes darken, "And then when they put me in Radley, well, I asked if maybe they thought I was sick like you. But mom said I wasn't like you and that she would get me out of that place someday. That I'd get better," she frowned, "But you're out now. Does that mean you're better?"

"I'm much better," Mary spoke evenly, "I think you're a little like me. You are my daughter after all."

Charlotte smiled, "Yeah. Is that why you don't like her? Because she put you in that hospital…"

"Because she took you away from me," Mary finished quietly, "And then she did the same thing to you Charlotte. When things get too hard, she just locks people away."

Charlotte shook her head, "No, it's not like that," she disagreed, "Mom was just trying to help me. She cares about me. Plus, it was dad who really wanted lock me away. She didn't do it to be mean or anything. I'm sure she cared about you too, - "

"Don't be so naïve," Mary said sharply.

Charlotte fell silent, averting her eyes.

Mary touched her daughters' arm, "I'm sorry, Charlotte," her tone became gentler, "I just get upset… you're all grown up now and I didn't get to see it happen."

Charlotte held her mothers' hand, "But I'm here now."

* * *

"Charlotte, calm down."

"But she's alive, mom, I swear," Charlotte insisted, "Don't you get it? I didn't kill her. Ali's alive."

"Okay, she might be," Mary sighed, "But you need to find out for sure."

"I have to tell mom," Charlotte said excitedly, "I have to go, now – "

Mary moved into the door frame, blocking her daughters path, "No, no. You can't do that, honey. You need to make sure."

Charlotte was growing frustrated, "Well, how am I meant to do that?"

"By playing a little game," Mary answered calmly, her lips curving upwards.

Charlotte frowned, "Game?" she echoed.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3.**

"Definitely my daughter," Mary squeezed Charlotte's shoulders from behind.

Charlotte looked away from the computer screen with a grin, "It's really not that hard. People are so slack with their security," she paused, "I'm going to Ravenswood tonight."

Mary sighed, "Another Ali sighting?"

Charlotte nodded.

Mary kept her temper despite the fact she couldn't stand that her daughter wouldn't cut her ties with the Dilaurentis side of the family. Still, it came in useful from time to time.

"Mom, what do you need this data for anyway?" Charlotte asked as she turned back to the screen.

"Don't worry about it," Mary said dismissively, "Just put it on the drive, I'll deal with it."

Charlotte frowned before shrugging and doing as she was told. She was used to her mom's dismissiveness at times. She supposed she'd be told the whole game plan when it was time. Anyway, right now she was off to meet up with Alison.

Her mom wasn't the only one keeping secrets.

* * *

Charlotte lay down on the couch and closed her eyes. Sometimes she got tired of looking at those walls. At her computer. At all the photo's and the footage. She should feel good, she'd helped her sister tonight. But she didn't feel good because she still hadn't told Ali that they were sisters. Or cousins technically, she guessed, but Ali would always be her little sister. It was all she wanted. It seemed as far away as ever.

But she couldn't imagine what her mother would do if she told Alison the truth. She knew her mother wanted her to cut ties with Jessica and Ali but… she just couldn't. Jessica was still her mom. Alison was her sister. Jason was her brother. She didn't miss the flashes of anger that took over her mother's face whenever she referred to Jessica as mom. On second thought, she could imagine what her mother would do if she told. And Charlotte knew she had to protect her family.

It just sucked that she had to protect her family from her family.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: As usual, going all off canon here! Let me know your thoughts :) Thanks for reading!**

 **Chapter 4.**

"Mom, no," Charlotte shook her unmoving mothers shoulders, "No, don't leave me here, mommy," she sobbed into Jessica's still body, "You can't leave me here."

Charlotte stayed that way until her eyes dried up and her head hurt. She couldn't believe it. Her mom was dead and the last conversation they had had only days beforehand… wasn't exactly ideal.

 _"Charlotte, you scared me!"_

 _Charlotte bit her lip, "Sorry, I just… I wanted to see you, mommy."_

 _Jessica smiled a little as she wrapped her arms around the younger woman, "I missed you, Charlie. I've been trying to find you. Where have you been?"_

 _Charlotte nibbled her lip some more, "Um… I've been staying with my… with Mary."_

 _Jessica's smile vanished, "You've been staying with… your mom?"_

 _Charlotte shrugged, "Well, you're my mom," she mumbled, "But I guess she is too. She came and got me from Radley."_

 _"Honey," Jessica put a hand on her daughters' arm, "You need to be careful. Your mom… she's not the most stable person."_

 _"Neither am I," Charlotte pointed out._

 _Jessica looked worried, "Charlie, it's just… I worry she might take advantage of you for her own reasons."_

 _Charlotte shook her head, "It's not like that. She loves me."_

 _"I'm not saying she doesn't love you," Jessica said slowly, "It's just… she has a history and you're vulnerable…"_

 _"It's not like I have anywhere else to go," Charlotte said quietly but pointedly, "Do I?"_

 _Jessica sighed, "Charlotte, you know I love you – "_

 _"But you still won't tell anyone," Charlotte finished, arms crossed, "Mom loves me. She didn't keep me locked up in that place. She's not ashamed of me."_

 _"Charlie, please just be careful," Jessica persisted, "Please. I don't want her to hurt you."_

 _"You're the one with the monopoly on hurting me," Charlotte whispered and walked away, leaving Jessica staring after her, conflict written all over her face._

* * *

"Did you do this?" Charlotte asked, her voice low.

"What are you talking about?" Mary frowned, not used to her daughter speaking to her like this.

Charlotte clenched her teeth and moved quickly, her hands gripping her mother's shirt as she pushed her against the wall.

"Did you kill my mom?" she asked again.

Mary's eyes widened, "What?" she sounded shocked, "Jessica is…dead?"

Charlotte's glare didn't falter, "Don't lie to me," she said through gritted teeth.

"Charlotte, I didn't hurt her," Mary replied steadily, "I promise."

Charlotte was still hesitant, searching her mother's face for a hint of a lie.

"All you ever talk about is revenge… and now she's… " Charlotte's eyes welled up.

"Charlotte," Mary raised her hand to her daughters cheek, "You're right. I did want revenge. But death is too quick. I wanted her to suffer like I did, not be let out easily. I didn't do this."

Charlotte released her mother and stepped backwards.

Mary drew the younger woman in and held her tightly.

"I'm sorry, darling," she whispered.

Charlotte couldn't stop the flow of the tears, "No you're not," she sobbed, "You hated her. You're happy she's dead."

"I'm not happy," Mary ran a comforting hand through her daughters' hair, "I know you love her and that's not my favourite thing but I would never want to put you through this."

Charlotte sniffed and nodded wordlessly, letting her mother hold her as her body shook out it's grief. Finally, she pulled her face from her mother's shoulder.

"Who would do this?" she whispered shakily.

"I don't know, sweetheart," Mary had never found it so hard to lie to her daughter as in that moment. But she knew if Charlotte knew who had done this, she would exact her own revenge. After all, she was her mother's daughter.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Final chapter! Leads straight into 6x10. Thanks for reading :)**

 **Chapter 5**

Charlotte took a deep and shaky breath.

"I don't want to do it anymore."

Mary looked at her in surprise, "What?"

Charlotte swallowed tightly, "I don't want to play the game anymore, mom. It's too much. My mom is dead, Ali's been through hell… isn't that what you wanted? Revenge?"

"You can't just quit, Charlotte. Not now," Mary said harshly.

"It's too far," Charlotte forced herself to keep her composure, "I never wanted to hurt Ali. I just want her to know who I am. I want to be with my family – "

It wasn't the first time her mom had hit her but it still shocked her into a stunned silence.

"Family?" Mary hissed, venom in her voice, "And what am I?"

Charlotte bit her lip, "I just mean…" she muttered before shrugging.

Mary put a hand on Charlotte's burning cheek, "Sweetheart, just a little longer and we'll have everything we ever wanted."

Charlotte bit her lip, not looking at her mother.

"Charlotte," Mary spoke softly, "I'm sorry. You know, everything I do is for you."

Charlotte closed her eyes and nodded. Even though she still didn't understand. All she wanted was to be with her family. But her mom was dead. Her sister still didn't know who she was. She was really starting to doubt that Mary had her best interests at heart.

There was only one way out.

* * *

"Are you serious? Bit extreme isn't it?"

Charlotte shrugged, "It's the only way to keep them safe. Mary will never stop going after Alison. And she'll never let me go."

"You've started calling her Mary again," Sara observed.

Charlotte looked away, "My mom is dead," she replied monotonously, "So, are you gonna help me or not?"

Sara could see that the other woman was serious, "Well, you can blow yourself up but I'm not hanging around for the blast."

"Fine, just set the timer and get out. It's your choice if you want to be stuck under Mary's thumb forever," Charlotte snapped, "But I'm getting out."

"What ever happened to running away to Paris?"

"It didn't work, did it?" Charlotte growled, "Plus, I have to keep Ali safe. I have to tell her everything."

"Just to kill her?"

"It's the only way," Charlotte said quietly, turning away as tears stung her eyes.


End file.
